Lady's Man of the West
by BAFling
Summary: A woman that resembles Sesshoumaru. And Sesshoumaru himself is missing? It seems that someone has cast a spell on the Lord, but no one knows what the spell is or who cast it. And why does the human female that resembles him have no memory of her past...?
1. It's a Woman's World

Summery of **Shrew-hanyou**'s What The! challenge:

What's this? A woman that resembles Sesshoumaru? And Sesshoumaru himself is missing? What could be going on? It seems that someone has cast a spell on the Western Lord –according to Jaken- but no one knows what the spell is or who cast it. And why does the _human female_ that resembles him have no memory of her past? Could she somehow be connected to the taiyoukai?

My, oh, my. There seems to be a lot of questions in need of an answer…I'll see what I can do.

(This is not meant to be a long story…Not meant to be long at all.)

* * *

So, this challenge was issued by my dear friend **Shrewy**, and I have put off posting this story long enough. Sorry about that, **Shrewy** me' dear! I've been concentrating on my other fic, Sesshoumaru, sit! But now I think I can give this time. It's fun to write, with just so much to play around with. How could I resist?

I hope you like it, Shrew. This chapter is dedicated to you! –bow- Sorry I have been neglecting you so much lately. (Heheh! _Told_ you I've been writing it! .)

And guys, I hope you like it! Oh, and for those who are thinking "what is she doing writing another story, when she should be finishing the other one!" I tell you, please be patient. I have plenty of free time for both, and I won't be neglecting any of my stories if I can help it .

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha; Rumiko Takahashi does. I don't even own this idea; **Shrew-hanyou** does….I don't own much of anything, so please, don't sue me.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:**

Inuyasha sat in the middle of the cottage, near the fire, facing an agitated Jaken. The hanyou wasn't feeling too hospitable or pleased in the least, despite what the sweating frog was relating to him.

So someone cast a spell on Sesshoumaru. Was he supposed to care? Because, despite the so-called blood relation between himself and the inu-youkai, it wouldn't have mattered to him if the bastard up and died. And here this what's-his-name was asking him for help.

"-and Sesshoumaru-sama is missing," Jaken whined on. "I didn't see what happened. I-" Inuyasha rolled his eyes when the frog sniffled for the hundredth time, "-have no idea where my Lord is, and you, his hated brother, are the only one capable of finding him." He sniffled again before adding, "No one else would help me."

Inuyasha growled at him, not appreciating that he was a last resort. "If his fucking _allies_ refused to help him, what makes you think _I_ would!"

Jaken looked up at him in surprise. "But you're his brother."

The hanyou laughed mirthlessly. "So what?" He didn't know why he had even agreed to hear the frog out. Now he was sitting here, wasting his time when he should be out there gathering shards. Which he would have been doing if Kagome hadn't gotten mad at him over God-knows-what and left!

He refused to go after her, and so after a week of waiting for the wench to come back, he was restless, angry, and bored. So much so that he had stupidly agreed to listen to Jaken's plight when he met him just outside Kaede's village.

Oh, what boredom will do to you.

He heard Jaken sigh. "Lord Sesshoumaru would slice me in half if he knew I was here asking for your help. But I am terribly worried." Inuyasha startled when the sitting frog bowed low on the floor to him. "Please, Inuyasha-sama."

He stared at him uncomfortably for a second before speaking: "Feh. A miko could probably locate him with her powers or something. I'm sure she can break the spell for you, too, because I'm not going to get dragged into anyone's problems." Not something Kagome would like hearing him say, he thought, and folded his arms stubbornly.

Jaken sat up slowly, looking more than a little miserable. The hanyou could see he was tired, strained, and he almost felt sorry for him…Almost.

"What if I made you a deal? To make it worthwhile."

Inuyasha snorted. "What could you possibly offer that would convince me to help the bastard?" He smirked, leaning back a little, as if the very idea of assisting Sesshoumaru in any way was amusing.

"Shards. I'll give you my shards. I got a few from youkai my master slay. He allowed me to keep them, but I will give them to you." The little demon was sweating profusely now, staring at the hanyou, his eyes desperate and pleading.

Inuyasha's ears perked. He was paying attention now. "You have shards?"

* * *

"So, you have any idea where he could be?" the hanyou asked grumpily. _I can't believe I'm doing this, _he hissed mentally.

Jaken pointed to a mountain a little in the distance. "That's where we were when it happened. I was standing behind my Lord at the time, so I couldn't see anything." He scratched the side of his head. "I remember a woman's voice. It was loud and angry, and she was speaking in a language I was not familiar with most of the time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean sometimes she would speak in Japanese and the other…I believe the other was an ancient tongue. I certainly never learned it."

"And what did she say that you _could_ understand?" he asked, crossing his arms in annoyance. That frog seemed a little wrong in the head. He should have told him what he heard the woman say long before now.

"Um…all I could make out was…half…prove yourself…understand…pay." The frog scratched his head in concentration then nodded his head. "Yes, that is all."

"That doesn't make any damn sense!"

Jaken cringed at the young half demon's angry tone, looking a little angry himself. "I realize that! But that was all I could make out."

Inuyasha sighed and messaged the bridge of his nose. "Fine. What happened after that?"

"Erm…nothing. Everything went black for me after she was done with her speech. When I was conscious again everyone was gone. Even Rin."

"…Rin? The little girl?" Inuyasha snarled and glowered down at the tiny creature. "You're sending me off to find your missing asshole and you don't even bother to mention her!"

Jaken looked shocked. "Well, if you find her, too, then that would be fine." The frog squeaked when a strong punch landed on his head, toppling him forward. He rose slowly with a groan and looked up, teary-eyed, to find that the hanyou was nowhere in sight.

"W-what did I say!"

* * *

A yellow, bloated ball peeked over a square, worn edge. It toppled over it and landed on the ground with a thud. Before the dust from the landing had settled, two slender hands appeared where the yellow object had and gripped the very same wooden edge. Grunting sounds started soon after and a dark head popped into view along with the rest of the arms, and then the shoulders.

Kagome continued over the well's rim, placing her feet gingerly on the ground and dusting her hands off.

"Stupid Inuyasha," she muttered to herself, swinging her bag over her shoulder with a grunt. She looked around then. "Inuyasha, are you there!"

…No answer.

She huffed indignantly and walked on to the village.

Miraculously, she had kept herself from sitting him before she left. He dared accuse her of slacking off! She tries so hard to find the shikon shards. She skips out on school, and even some tests to do so. She almost gets killed several times during their battles with youkai, and he has the nerve to tell her she was _slacking off_!

All she said was that she needed a few more hours of sleep. What's the big deal! She just finished her finals, staying up most of two weeks trying to catch up on all the lessons she had missed out on. All she wanted was some more rest.

If he hadn't been so stubborn about it she wouldn't have gotten so mad. Well, now they had lost a week of time, which was half her fault. She wanted to teach him a lesson: Giving her a few hours were better than loosing an entire week.

She doubted he would get it, though. He never got _anything_! Or maybe he just liked playing stupid. If that was it, he did a remarkable job…

And she was surprised, and a little disappointed, that he hadn't tried dragging her back during that time. At least she had caught up on some sleep. Still…it would have been nice…

She tripped so unexpectedly she almost didn't put her arms up to shield her face. She had no time to make a sound as she hurtled forward, crashing with a pained squeak.

The fall knocked the wind out of her, causing her head to spin in shock and confusion.

_What the…!_

Her head snapped up off her crossed arms as soon as she could breathe again. Afraid she'd tripped over something living, she braced herself on her elbows and dragged herself away, careful not to put any pressure on her legs; they were draped over something…squishy.

A backward glance told her it was indeed a living thing. A human looking one. With unusually long hair.

Kagome bolted to her feet and hurried over to the woman's side. She almost kept going right past her as shock temporarily numbed her brain.

The body lay across the ground, facing upwards. The crescent moon, placed in the middle of the forehead, the striped cheeks, and the beautiful, impassive features almost gave Kagome a heart attack.

Then she noticed that things were too off for it to be who she thought it was.

The skin was not as pale as it should be. The stripes weren't their renowned purple, but a deep shade of golden yellow. And the hair…It was the right length, but it was as black as hair could possibly get, glinting blue in the sunlight.

But most incriminating were…the breasts. The Lord of the West did _not_ have breasts.

The two, perfectly shaped, round globes were almost fully exposed in the simple white day kimono. Adding to all that, the fact that the remarkably-like-Sesshoumaru woman was very much human. With regular, nicely shaped ears, clawless hands, and no youki that Kagome could sense.

"Ok, I'll think about this riddle later," she said to herself, trying to think of a way to move the woman without hurting either of them. "Kirara. Kirara would be perfect for this." She turned, having every intention of running over to the village to get the neko-demon. "But…what if she gets eaten before I get back?" Youkai were aplenty here, and the woman was an unconscious, sitting duck.

"If only that baka Inuyasha was here," she grumbled, turning back to squat next to the pretty woman.

So her second option was: Wake her up.

* * *

Inuyasha was crouched on the ground, sniffing the earth for more of his brother's faint scent. It existed in a narrow diameter. No matter where he looked around that spot, no more of his scent would show itself. It was almost as if he'd been flown in to land in this small spot and then flown away, so he didn't leave any traces to be followed. What really confused the hanyou was how faint the scent was. It smelled several days old, and Jaken said it was only two days ago. Rin's and Jaken's scent were much clearer, on the other hand, but Rin had Sesshoumaru's same problem. She had no trace to be followed either.

What Inuyasha hated about this place his brother seemed to have 'disappeared' in, was that it was so close to the wolf's den. And since he couldn't find enough clues as to the whereabouts of his brother, he was going to –and he shuddered at the thought of this- ask Kouga if he knew anything.

Sometimes those shards –even if they lead to his becoming a full demon- didn't seem worth it.

_Shit!_

Several minutes later he was right in front of the small waterfall the den was hidden behind. Inuyasha stood several feet away from the entrance, arms crossed, and his customary going-to-see-Kouga face in place; he looked pissed.

"Oi! Flea-bag! Come out where I can see you!" He knew the prince was in there. His scent was strong here, and with it several other scents mingled. His pack must be close by, too, although he hadn't spotted any of them.

"Buzz off, dog-turd!" came the irritated reply.

That gave inuyasha pause. He shook his head, certain that something was wrong with his hearing. "What?"

"Are you deaf? Scram! I'm busy."

Risking being trampled by any exiting wolfs, and yet unable to help himself, the hanyou took a few steps closer. "Flea-bag…you don't sound right."

"What do you want!"

Inuyasha cleared his throat and stepped back. "I wanted to ask you a few things about Sesshoumaru," he answered, forcing the confusion out of his tone, making sure he sounded as angry as he'd been feeling a few seconds ago.

"Hell, don't remind me," the hanyou heard the strange voice say miserably.

Slowly, one leg appeared from the waterfall, and then the rest of the body, with that usual dark head, striking blue eyes, and revealing furry clothing. Kouga stepped out fully but slowly, managing to get completely wet in the process. Hands on hips in a gesture of annoyance, Kouga looked as pissed as Inuyasha did.

The hanyou stood frozen, an overwhelmed look on his face. "Shit, flea-bag! You look like a girl!"

"Really? Did those give me away?" Kouga snapped crossly, looking down at what used to be _his_ chest.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the clear protrusion at the front of the she-wolf. Kouga was wearing a peace of fur there rather than the usual armor. For comfort's sake, no doubt.

It occurred to inuyasha to laugh, but for some reason, he couldn't quite manage it. "What the hell happened?"

The wolf shrugged, making several attempt to cross his arms in front of him –her, that is. "Damned things are always in the fucking way!" he –she- growled, slapping his hands back at his hips in frustration. "So, what do you want!"

"I told you…" he couldn't seem to stop staring. The wolf had a hell of a figure on him –er…her. He looked a lot like his faithful pursuer, Ayame, the redheaded wolf girl. And no wonder Inuyasha thought his voice was odd. The prince's tone had always been deep. And now that he was female, it had the same type of depth, just more appropriate for a girl. It sounded similar…but different.

"What are you looking at, mutt!"

Inuyasha startled a little, but regained his angry-type composure in no time. He shrugged with a 'feh', looking away. "I came here to investigate. I was told that someone cast a spell on my bastard brother somewhere around here. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yeah, I know."

Inuyasha waited expectantly, but the wolf said nothing else. "_Well_! What do you know!"

Kouga snorted and shrugged again. "Your brother was passing through my lands when a miko intercepted him. At least that's what I think she was, what with her hooded robe and all. She started talking gibberish to him, and I could tell he was getting mad. I would know because I was watching pretty close by." The wolf shook his –her- head sadly. Clearly he wished he hadn't been spying on them at such a close range. "Next thing I know I look like _this_! Shit!"

Inuyasha watched Kouga curse angrily for a while before he made to ask another question: "Do you know where he went? Sesshoumaru, I mean."

The she-wolf paused. "Why would you care? I thought you hated his guts."

"I have my reasons," he said testily.

Kouga chuckled in amusement, and Inuyasha found himself thinking that it sounded a lot less nerve-grating than it usually would have.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as the obvious came to him. If Kouga 'caught' the spell that was meant for Sesshoumaru, that meant that what was happening to the wolf…must be happening to his brother.

"Ok, mutt, you can keep your little secrets. And no, I don't know where he went." The look of frustration was back on the wolf's face. "I was a little too busy freaking out. I'm not sure what to do with it," he grumbled.

Inuyasha frowned, unsure of what to make of the prince's sudden talkativeness…with _him_. "It?"

"This…body. It does nothing right!" the wolf growled crossly, raising both slender arms in the air in aggravation.

After a moment of absorbing this new and unusual information, the hanyou's head tilted back, and he was finally able to holler with laughter at the drollness of the entire situation.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

Hm…It's cliffie-ish, isn't it?

And **Shrewy**, I know you noticed I've kinda' broken one of your rules, but not _really_. You'll see .

Ok, so the chapter wasn't exactly eventful, but the next one should be. At least more so than this one. Tell me what you think. I'd like to know. Anything wrong with my logic anywhere, everywhere? I'd appreciate it if you told me. So, **R&R** please? (You know, at this point I guess only the second **R** is necessary. I keep forgetting that…)

Oh, and I just have to say hello to one of the best writers I know, **TrisakAminawn**, mostly for creating the most adorable, charming, lovable villain I've ever had the pleasure to read: my new love, Kileb. Ahhhhhh –hearts for eyes- he lives in 'I'm sorry you're an idiot', and I'm planning on moving in there, too. Is that OK with you, **TrisakA**? (and I'm just exaggerating about the mostly part . ) do you think Kileb would agree to marry me? O.O


	2. Bad Boys

I would have finished this chapter sooner, but the internet…none for over three months. It almost killed me! -; I know I'm late…Now that I have this to write, too, I'll be switching between them. Besides, after such wonderful support, I'll try harder to update as quickly as I can.

Lastly I would like to thank my wonderful beta, **FluufyDemonSheepdog **for her great help and patience! I'll be sending her this chapter soon. She's busy but she's still willing to help me out. Isn't she just grand!

I can't have anymore review replies in the chapter. Fanfiction site new rule. But I will reply to them if they are fellow authors through the new review reply…thingy. And as for the anonymous reviews, if you give me your email I'll send you something . So far everyone's an author, so thank you all, guys! –kisses sent your way- Enjoy! They taste great.

A major apology to **Botrytis-Cinerea**. Sesshoumaru, sit! Has been deleted by the site. If you want ch25 I'll send it to you, but you've got to send me an email, or a signed review, because the search engine was not able to find you for some reason. I apologize again. I know how annoyed you must feel (imagine how annoyed _I_ am! The evil site.) –sniffle-

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha; Rumiko Takahashi does. I don't even own this idea; **Shrew-hanyou** does….I don't own much of anything, so please, don't sue me.

* * *

Taiyoukai: Demon lord.

Taijiya: Demon exterminator.

Baka: Idiot.

Hanyou: Half demon.

Youkai: demon.

Miko: Priestess.

Kitsune: Fox.

-San: Mr., Mrs., and Miss, Sir or madam.

-Sama: Used to confer great respect, like for those better in status. (Like a lord)

* * *

**CHAPTER 2:**

It was one of the strangest days Kagome had had yet –besides when she was pulled into the well the first time. Never in a million years has she imagined pulling Sesshoumaru –or rather someone who showed all the signs of being him- along with her. Except the taiyoukai look-alike was a woman.

The lady wouldn't let her help at first. She acted like the idea of being touched was the most insulting thing ever suggested. She was too weak to walk on her own too, so Kagome assumed she preferred being helped along to being seen with her face in the dirt. The young miko expected the woman would have stayed where she was if not for the dangers that presented.

"So…do you remember anything? I know you already said no, but I thought it might be because you had just woken up."

"No," the lady answered, head high. She sounded like she would rather not talk to her.

"Don't worry Miss…um…Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get your memory back soon. Kaede-bachan would love to help you."

The woman made an inarticulate noise and Kagome decided it was best concentrate her energy on the walk, because talking wouldn't do either of them much good. She carried most of the lady's weight on her shoulder, and she was rather _heavy_.

* * *

"You stupid fleabag! If you weren't a girl right now I'd-!"

"You had it coming, dog-shit."

"What the hell! I didn't do it on purpose! Why'd you have to go and slap me like that?" the hanyou raged, clutching an angry-red cheek.

"Maybe next time you'll be careful where you're putting your hands."

Inuyasha turned scarlet. "I was pushing you out of the way. You turned around in the middle of it. _Not my fault_!"

"Hm. I wonder how deep this thing is," the wolf said, more to himself than anyone else.

They were making their way through a narrow tunnel in the ground after both had caught an unfamiliar human scent trailing down into it. Kouga wouldn't stay behind no matter how much Inuyasha argued. _'It's as much my business as it is yours. In fact, it's a lot more my business.'_

Besides that, Inuyasha was in constant danger of seeing more than he cared to; the wolf was in front of him, leaning down and making his way through the uneven passageway. The damn skirt of his was as hazardous as Kagome's!

"I should have been at the front," he grumbled. "I have a better sense of smell than you do-oohf!" He bumped into the prince's back. "What? Why did you stop!" he snapped in a hiss.

"Shh!" Kouga hissed back. "Look at this."

"What?" He looked over the wolf's shoulder. The tunnel still went on and on. "We're not there yet."

"Yes we are you blind baka. _Look_." He pointed at the ground inches from his fur-clad feet. The hanyou squinted at it.

He drew back slowly. "What the hell is it?"

There was a barely visible distortion in the air just above the ground. A pass, used to travel either from one place to the other, or more dangerously, from one time to another.

"This has to be it. It's a couple of days old."

"How do you know that?"

Kouga smirked back at him. "Good thing I'm here to guide you, mutt face."

"You wish!" he snapped, turning a humiliated shade of red.

"It's smaller than it would have been if it were new," he went on. "Obviously the traveler intends to use it again, and that's why it's still slightly open. So we know the end of this tunnel has some answers at least."

"Can't we just use the damn thing-" he pointed at the warp, "-to get to the miko?"

"The passage needs to be activated. We can't just use it. Besides, how do we know she'll be at the end of it? I suggest we go back to your village."

"No way! You just said we can get some answers if we follow this thing through."

"Stupid mutt! _We_ won't be able to make it there! Can't you sense the purifying aura!"

He did, just before Kouga started his babbling. It was still pretty far off, but it was _strong_!

"Fuck!"

"Yeah," the wolf agreed, blue eyes glinting in the dark.

* * *

_Roses are red. Gangsters are shady. No one's as mean. As the Sesshoumaru lady._ Kagome only wished she could do something about it. The moment she decided she was going to lecture her about the snubs, the anonymous woman decided to collapse clutching her stomach.

"Ack! What is it!" Kagome slid down to the ground beside her. The lady looked…shocked, to say the least. She didn't seem to be prepared for the pain she had to be feeling. "What do you feel? Did you eat something…?" Not that she would remember, thought the young miko.

Clear golden eyes stared back at her, having returned to their previous cool. "I am fine." Kagome helped her stand and they started their –more precisely, Kagome's- excruciating walk to the village.

Kagome felt her stiffen beside her moments later and tried to hurry her steps. She must have been poisoned. Something made her lose her memory, and maybe that was only the beginning…_No. No, I don't want you to die in my arms too! _She couldn't bear it. Not again. Not after Kikyou. When Kagome's soul had returned to her, leaving Kikyou, the undead miko had dropped limply against her. That same day they had worked together for the first time, the combined power of their arrows finishing the evil half-demon off.

Naraku was dead at least. Miroku's Kazaana was no more; a good thing. Kohaku finally had his freedom, even if he didn't live long afterwards. He was happy, taking his final, real breaths in his sister's arms. Sango was heartbroken, but she knew it was best. At least she got to say goodbye.

Kagome was lucky Inuyasha was still talking to her. She knew he blamed her for Kikyou's death. Maybe he still put up with her because they needed to gather shards. Naraku had shrewdly shattered the part he possessed, sending the pieces flying every which way when he knew his death was imminent.

The miko peeked at the woman next to her, remembering Sesshoumaru's part. If the brothers hadn't joined forces that final hour it wouldn't have ended well for anyone. Those two were _powerful_ together. She was hoping they would make up after that. Of course they didn't. But Sesshoumaru stopped trying to take Tetsusaiga, despite the sword's superior power. It was Inuyasha's, and that finally seemed to sink in.

They weren't enemies anymore. But they didn't like one another either.

"_Kagome?_"

She jumped in terror, nearly letting the older woman go. "Inuyasha! You scared me!" She looked around, trying to find him and cursing her lack of attention. "Where are you?" His youki was a little way to the right. And he had someone else with him.

"Here." He came out of the shadows, glaring at the large bundle she was holding onto. "Who's that?"

"Um…" she peeked behind him, waiting for the other presence to show itself. "I don't know. She doesn't remember. This is my friend, Inuyasha," she told the silent woman. The lady didn't seem to care, although she did give the hanyou an assessing glance. "Who's there?" Kagome asked, nodding her head behind him.

Inuyasha smirked and waved his arm over his head. "Come out of there, flea-bag. She's going to find out sooner or later."

"Bastard," Kagome heard someone mumble angrily. She squinted in the direction when the familiar figure emerged slowly. It was Kouga. It could be no one else-

"_Kouga_!" She nearly let go of the lady this time. "K-Kouga. You…um…You're female," she said uncertainly. And He looked pretty too.

"Hey, Kagome," Kouga greeted before clearing his throat consciously and glaring heatedly at the chuckling hanyou. _I'll kill that asshole!_

As for Kagome, she was a hundred percent certain now that the woman she was holding was Sesshoumaru. She looked suspiciously at Inuyasha.

He felt her scrutiny and stiffened in offense, guessing at the obvious route her thoughts were taking. "I'm still a guy!"

* * *

_There they walk, not knowing, not seeing_

_-the future that awaits change, the hearts that expect healing._

_The little girl that I am, and the darkness that I'm stealing._

_Wait here my fair warrior, with armor and with shield_

_This cage you've built, I will wield. _

_Soon, very soon, you will understand_

_-that not all is you, and not all you are_

_-a man._

* * *

The old miko and the young girl were a troublesome lot, even though she didn't quite know why she thought so. From the moment she awakened, she felt wrong. Out of place. Like she didn't quite fit...in anything. She felt a stranger to her own self, and it irritated the hell out of her, the feeling being the most familiar to her _about_ her so far.

She studied herself in the small, fake-silver mirror the girl had given her and found she did not know the reflected image. She did not even know her name, a detail she felt ashamed to admit. But most of all, she hated the strange looks the hanyou kept giving her when he entered the cottage. How she hated being stared at.

"I'll call you…whatever you want while we figure out just who you are and what your story is," the irritating, whiny young female addressed her chirpily. "What would you like to be called? We can't keep calling you 'woman' all the time."

"I like Kadan-sama. It's a pretty name," Shippo put in from behind Kagome's leg.

"A very gentle, yet elegant name, don't you think, young lady?" the old miko said.

"Humph," the now-Kadan-sama answered.

"Feh. Just call her wench, like I do Kagome."

"Sit, you jerk!"

'Kadan' watched the hanyou's face connect with the floor in disgust. "Very well."

Everyone turned to stare at the woman who had finally spoken. Kagome made the first sound. "Huh?"

"She likes the name, Kagome!" Shippo hopped in delight.

"That's great! Kadan-sama it is!" The young miko had a hunch that the woman wouldn't take a lesser honorific than –sama very well. Sesshoumaru didn't. On the other hand, she was sure Sesshoumaru wouldn't be very appreciative of being given a girly name. Even if he was a girl at the time –yes, she was still quite sure this lady was him.

Kadan was sitting up on a futon in the middle of the room, surrounded by the two mikos, the hanyou, the wolf, and the kitsune child. They were nothing short of insulting, the way they so easily invaded her privacy. She deserved a room of her own, where she could think and try to recall what happened to her. Who she was.

To their benefit, they left shortly after to do a few errands. Peace at last. The younger miko and hanyou were beginning to argue heatedly and it was getting on her nerves. The kit was still present, but for some reason she was grateful for, he was making himself scarce around her.

Kadan's head snapped to the door when it moved to admit a human shaped creature. A…monk.

Miroku startled when he heard a strange, soft growling as he went in. "Oh! I'm very sorry. I didn't know anyone was here." He smiled apologetically and bowed. "Kaede-bachan's patient, I assume?" He swallowed nervously when the lovely…familiar lady glared coldly back at him. "Mm…Anything I can do to help?"

* * *

"I guess I'd better tell that frog I found him…her." Inuyasha smirked. "I'm not going to let him live this down. God, I hope it's him."

"Jaken?"

"No, baka. Sesshoumaru."

"I mean you're talking about telling _Jaken_? How come? I didn't know you cared, Inuyasha." Kagome looked at him suspiciously.

"He knows where a few shards are, so we made a deal. My part was that I'd find the bastard, that's all."

The young miko took a deep breath. "Hmm. Yeah. The shards are very important to you."

"Uh…yeah."

They walked in silence for several moments. "Do you know what happened?"

"Eh? Ah, I have an idea."

"And Kouga had nothing to do with it?"

"Let's not bring him up, ok? The only good thing about that flea-bag is that he's not all over you for once," he mumbled angrily.

"Oh...I did notice he wasn't so...affectionate." Kagome giggled. "So I take it he did have something to do with you finding out about it. I didn't think you could do it on your own. So tell me. How is it he's a woman, too?"

"What's that supposed to mean! I can do it! If I wanted to! I can even find the shards on my own if I really tried!"

"Oh. Is that so?" She quirked a brow at him. "Well then maybe I should leave and let you take charge for a while, huh?"

"Don't be stupid!" he barked.

"That way I can get a little time off from all this work."

"Work? What work! You're the laziest wench I ever met!"

"Hah! Lazy! I don't even have to help you, have you ever thought about that! I'm just plain nice!"

"Aw, you're plain alright!"

"What was that!"

"You heard me, stupid wench!" He flattened his ears, expecting an upcoming sitting. The shaking fists at her sides, the vein throbbing angrily in her temple, the dilated pupils…He was going to get it.

She was huffing and puffing angrily, trying to calm herself before she ended up killing him. "Fine then, I guess you don't need _me_ around! I'm going home!" She turned about and began marching her way to the well.

"Where the hell-! Again! Fine! Fine, go on ahead! See if I care!"

"All you care about are those dumb shards!" she spat back.

"So I do! Am I supposed to care about _you_!"_…Shit_.

As predicted, she stopped. "Guess not."

He waited for her to start her angry walk but she just kept standing there. Well, he sure wasn't going to move. He wasn't going to say anything either, afraid he might screw things up even more.

"Alright then, I guess that's that." She began to walk again…

Had she been waiting for him to apologize!

"W-where are you going?"

"It doesn't really matter, and it's none of your business," she said, her voice fading as she got farther away. "Ahh!" She would have tripped and fallen on her face from the impact of a body being wrapped around hers if the embrace wasn't so tight. "Ung! Inuyasha!"

He hugged her fiercely from behind, his face buried in her hair. She felt him purring against her neck and it soothed her like nothing else.

"Um…w-what are you doing?" she asked breathlessly.

He hugged her more tightly to him. "I'm not sure…Sorry, Kagome, ok?" he almost barked against her hair, his voice muffled. "You know you're more important than those shards. And…uh…" He tucked his face more deeply against her neck. "-you're not plain."

She relaxed against him and began prying his arms away.

"Kagome-!" He panicked, thinking that she wasn't going to forgive him for the stupid shit he spouted a minute ago. She turned to him and hugged him back, now her face against his neck. He felt her breath him in and rub her hands up and down his back. His voice rumbled in his chest appreciatively as he re-wrapped his arms around her and held her as close to him as he could.

* * *

Sango shook the monk over and over, but there was no bringing him to. His face was swollen, almost beyond recognition. But that was not as strange as the mysterious force that had thrown him right through the wall of Kaede's cottage.

"Oooh, he had it coming," Shippo said, jumping through the monk-sized hole. "Groping you is one thing, but groping Lord Sesshoumaru is just insane."

It took the taijiya a while to collect her jaw from the floor. "_What_?"

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

**

* * *

**

Yay! It's up at last! . Again, sorry it took me so long. I hope y'all liked it.

Hey, **Shrewy**! I made it so they're not enemies, see? I'm such a good, obedient girl –holds gold bracelet over her head-

And just so everyone knows, I'm thinking this fic will be 5 chapters long. At the most.

Right, so, you know the drill. You've read, now please REVIEW! **R&R**. (No matter how many times I say it it's still a pleasure…)


	3. Evolve and Conquer!

It's me at last! Yippy! I've been looking forward to continuing on with this fic. After the months of no computer and no internet I thought it would be a good idea to write this chapter quickly while I can. Every time I think things have settled something happens and I'm not able to write. For the wait I apologise, everyone. Your support is priceless. Thank you so much –smooch- (any boys out there . ? )

My apologies to those who thought this update was a Sesshoumaru, sit! Or any other fic. Please enjoy…

And a huge hello to darling **Lynzu**! You're support is so great! Thank you! X3

Taiyoukai: Demon lord.

Taijiya: Demon exterminator.

Baka: Idiot.

Hanyou: Half demon.

Youkai: demon.

Miko: Priestess.

Kitsune: Fox.

-San: Mr., Mrs., and Miss, Sir or madam.

-Sama: Used to confer great respect, like for those better in status.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** If I _could_ own any part of Inuyasha it would be Sesshoumaru, the sexiest guy in the land –sigh-

* * *

_Recap from last chapter:_

_Sango shook the monk over and over, but there was no bringing him to. His face was swollen, almost beyond recognition. But that was not as strange as the mysterious force that had thrown him right through the wall of Kaede's cottage._

"_Oooh, he had it coming," Shippo said, jumping through the monk-sized hole. "Groping you is one thing, but groping Lord Sesshoumaru is another."_

_It took the taijiya a while to collect her jaw from the floor. "_What_!"_

**CHAPTER 3:**

Kagome watched tensely, waiting for Sango to burst into yet another fit of laughter. The demon slayer kept staring in malicious satisfaction at the monk every few minutes before covering her mouth in a failed attempt to keep the laughter in. The monk, on the other hand, sat to the taijiya's right, a strange glazed look in his eyes. Kagome could just make out his trance-like mumbling, which went along the lines of 'doomed' or 'dead' –she really wasn't so sure at this point. One thing was for certain: Sesshou- Kadan-sama was paying her molester zero attention. Naturally, as the lord was now a woman, that meant Miroku was going to get it good as soon as was possible for the lady.

Kadan-sama was well enough to sit with them. To the monk's consternation, she insisted on the place being right across from him. Inuyasha certainly seemed to think it was funny. The baka wouldn't stop smirking.

"A real fine couple, those two," he sneered in both their direction. Miroku went scarlet and gave the hanyou a terrified, warning glance. Sesshoumaru only spared him a fleeting, deadly glare and put his –her- teacup down with a soft clang.

"Half-breed. You only need concern yourself with your strange choice for a master." Kagome blanched when 'he' pointed to her.

Inuyasha's face flamed. "What!"

Sango recognized the danger and jumped in front of Inuyasha. Kagome prayed he wouldn't do anything foolish. She couldn't sit him _now_ –not after that statement. Miroku was at the ready, too, temporarily forgetting his momentous blunder.

"Eh, Inuyasha!" Shippo cried from nearby. "You're not going to lose your temper as usual, right? She's human," the kit stated slowly, as if speaking to a child, then climbed onto Kagome's shoulder. "You'd be a bigger coward than ever!"

"Wh-what did you say, you little twerp!" he raged, changing course and lunging at the kitsune, impossibly redder than before. Shippo let out a yelp and ran for it.

"I-Inuyasha, _don't hurt him_!" Kagome called warningly, for once thankful for the kid's baiting. Inuyasha could forget Sesshoumaru's condition if he got mad enough, and she was sure he didn't want a dead human on his conscience. Even if the human part was temporary.

Kouga, now also female, was sitting against the wall for lack of space around the little fire –The lady gave anyone who tried sitting on either side of her a withering glare- and after Shippo and Inuyasha disappeared outside, he rolled his eyes and followed them.

Miroku sighed in relief and sat down, and then, like he remembered he should be very afraid, he tensed up and gave Sesshoumaru a frightened look.

"Oh, Miroku, get over it. Sango is a lot more frightening," Kagome mumbled tiredly. Sango frowned at her. "Uh…when she's mad at you," she added.

* * *

"Please don't hurt Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried tearfully. The woman now in front of her didn't answer and kept drawing tight little circles around Rin, one after the other so that there was barely room for the child to sit without brushing the arched edges. "Sesshoumaru-sama is good! He saved Rin's life!" she attempted once more.

The woman shushed her softly and walked over to retrieve a strange looking glass rod she used to re-outline the three circles she had drawn. "Past," she whispered, going over the smallest circle. "Evolvement." She went over the second. She paused over the third one, tapping the rod in her smooth palm. "Completion," she said in a higher tone. "That will be the challenge."

She walked to the mouth of the inner cave they were in and peered through it gingerly. She stretched an arm in front of her face and flicked a finger in the direction of the darkness.

"No, don't go again!" Rin wept softly.

"Stay still. I won't be long," she whispered without turning.

Rin watched tearfully as the strange spiral shape appeared and hovered, small and nearly invisible, above the tip of the woman's forefinger. And just like before, it stretched over and around both of them so Rin could see nothing but white light, and seconds later only the older woman had gone, leaving the little girl behind feeling dizzy and worried.

Rin began to sing, with a quivering voice, for her Sesshoumaru-sama to return safely to her side.

* * *

Kagome burst out of the cottage, shock written across her face. "Inuyasha, I need to go to my time for a bit."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. "What happened to him? He's not dying is he?" he said a little too gleefully.

Kagome scowled. "_No_. It's nothing much. I won't stay for long. I just have to get something."

"Tell me what happened. Why was He-She so pale?" He had taken to calling her He-She so he wouldn't get too confused, so now her _name_ sounded a lot like Hiishi. Inuyasha thought it was pretty clever. No chance in hell he was going to be calling the bastard _anything_-sama! "From the way Kaede-bachan reacted after checking on him, it seemed pretty serious."

"It's-it's not, really. Just surprising." She looked nervously at him. "So you coming or what?"

Inuyasha shrugged and turned around for her to get on. "He's got the monthly thing, doesn't he?"

He heard Kagome trip behind him and turned around just in time to catch her. In his arms, she ogled up at him. "W-what? How did you…?"

"He smelled sort of like you do when you have it," he told her honestly, a grin starting to appear on his face. _Bah!_ _The great lord…_

Kagome looked horror-struck. His grin turned into a frown. "What?"

"_You can smell it_!" She straightened with her hands to her red cheeks, looking at him accusingly. She seemed to have forgotten that it was a much bigger deal that Sesshoumaru now had a period.

"Yeah. So what?" He noticed that she looked speechless, and her eye kept twitching ominously. "_What_! Any demon can smell it!"

Kagome was petrified. She was never coming here during her period _again_!

"Big deal -I can smell when you're in heat, too," he said, and looked nervously at her, as if he wished he hadn't revealed that.

"In…heat? What do you mean?" It dawned on her then. _In heat? Like with animals!_ "I'm not an animal! I don't-don't-don't-!"

"Yes you do. What's the big deal? You have nothing to worry about! No youkai can get near you anyway. It's not that remarkable a scent." He '_feh_'ed -a little red in the face- and crossed his arms.

Kagome looked around at Miroku, Sango and Shippo. The monk was staring at her with interest while Sango blushed, and Shippo frowned.

"Y…you _baka_!" She turned around and ran in the direction of the well.

* * *

FYI: **Heat: **A term with multiple meanings, among them: - Sexual desire, a periodic sexual excitement of most female placental mammals (meaning having that part of the lining of the ovary which bears the ovules); the period of this when the female will accept mating with the male; to have a strong sexual impulse at the reproductive period.

And so it seems that Inuyasha has managed to embarrass Kagome and insult her womanly feelings all at once. To say her scent –when she's in heat- is not remarkable in any way is telling her she's as sexy as a tree trunk. And what female would appreciate that?

* * *

"The jerk, the jerk, the _jerk_!" Kagome sniffled, feeling truly angry and hurt. She couldn't tell which of them she felt more. She wanted to kick his ass, and maybe smash his thick skull with a big rock, but she also wanted to cry her eyes out and wallow in self pity; why did she put up with him anyway? He was such a stupid baka! She couldn't think of a single reason right now to explain why she liked him so much –maybe even loved him. "Urrrgh!" she cried in exasperation, flinging her arms about angrily.

She froze in half terror, half disgust when something slimy and wet dragged lazily across the back of her neck. (How did it get past her hair!) Goosebumps broke out across her whole body and she slapped a hand harshly to her neck.

She turned jerkily when she felt nothing there…

No one. There was no one around. The sticky sensation was completely gone.

Pale as a ghost, she ran for the well.

A robed figure watched from the shadow sceptically.

"Silly girl. Didn't she think she might be carrying something over to her world?" The figure sighed and shook her head. She looked up, eyebrows raised to watch a smaller form scurrying in the opposite direction the young miko had taken.

"Hm." She smiled. "Jaken. I could play around with him now that the second phase is complete. I never really did like him." She chuckled. "Now…who else needs a lesson…? Eh…that's a tough one."

* * *

Jaken flew back several feet as he collided hard with something.

"Hey!" Inuyasha said and stared at the prone Jaken grumpily. "What're you doing here so soon? I said wait a few days!"

Jaken jumped up, a large round bump on his head. "Who do you think you are? I do as I please!" He swayed a little, the sudden movement making him dizzy. "I need to see the master. Only I know how to tend to him in the way he deserves," he said in a half whine.

Inuyasha harrumphed. "Yeah, so do I," he said darkly. "Go ahead then, but you won't like it." He grinned in satisfaction and continued on to the well, then broke into a run, remembering his reason for going there.

"Eh?" Jaken scratched his head. "Won't like it…? Oh, no. _Master_!" he wailed and ran.

Right into a tree. "Agh! Not again!"

Only it wasn't a tree.

"Hello." The robed figure smiled ominously. "You should watch where you're going."

Jaken gaped in horror. "_You_!" He yelped when she pointed her perfectly manicured finger at him. "W-what are you…going to do?"

"Not kill you." She grinned, and all he could see of her were her white teeth.

* * *

The old miko startled when Kadan-sama bolted upright on the futon. The young woman was pale and drawn from the effects of her monthly –and unexpected- flux, and she was unable to move only a short while before. Kaede wondered if her herbs had worked so quickly on the pains the woman was experiencing.

Kaede frowned at the expression on the woman's face.

"Where…is this?" The voice was deep and uncertain –and angry.

"You are in my cottage, so I may help you regain your memory, Kadan-sama," said Kaede cautiously. "Don't you remember?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. "_Kadan_-sama? You will call me Lord Sesshoumaru, _human_."

Kaede made a conscious effort to control her facial muscles. He was indeed the western lord. It was a fine thing that that was confirmed, but how to go about telling him he was a woman?

"So you are, Lord Sesshoumaru. May I bring you some tea, perhaps?"

"No." More gracefully than she thought possible, Sesshoumaru was on his feet. Kaede rushed to his side when he collapsed to his knees.

Clutching his stomach, he snarled at her when she got too close.

"Oh, dear. This will be more difficult than I…" She tried not to smile when she saw him tense and stare down his body. "I'm attempting to find out how you became this way. This spell is more advanced than I expected."

She stopped talking when he walked out the door. "He'll be back."

Sesshoumaru strode sternly through the muddy streets in his day yukata and tried to keep whatever he had had for breakfast in his stomach. The sensation was unfamiliar and intensely unpleasant, but it was nothing compared to the cramps he was…

He froze, aghast, when he felt something…_leak_!

Kaede smiled cordially when he stormed into the hut, his body oddly clenched up. "These are some…What did she call them…? Tampons for your condition. Kagome told me to have you use them until she gets back with more." She held out a shiny, rectangular shaped, wrapped package. "She said: read the instructions on the back for use. She said they were less trouble than the traditional ones."

If looks could freeze a person to death, Kaede thought. "You don't want to soak your undergarments, do you?" She smiled, aware that she could have done without that particular phrase.

"Who the hell did this," he asked coldly, frowning a second later. Kaede expected he didn't like his voice.

"Not me." The old miko was having so much fun teasing him. She was in no immediate danger, even if his face was turning a peculiar shade of red.

" it?" he asked slowly in an ominously calm voice.

"I'm afraid I don't know. But now that you remember who you are, maybe you could try recalling the events of your transformation?"

"If I remembered that the miko would have already been dead," he drawled.

"In your current state, that is very doubtful. Here are the Tampons. Try to make use of them to stem your flow while I go to the village for some supplies." She placed the pack on a wooden box near the door and left with a nod.

Sesshoumaru stared at the foreign object. "Flow?" he narrowed his eyes at the pack, feeling more than a little furious at how clueless he was on this matter. "I have no flow!" he hissed at it.

The leaking made itself felt and he froze up in utter disgust. "_Damn it_!" Oddly enough, he hated his voice more than anything.

* * *

Kagome scratched her neck in irritation. She tried hard to see what there was, but nothing seemed to be wrong. She had the additional tampons but she didn't want to go back before checking what could have happened to her neck.

Using two mirrors she managed to look at the area in question. She sighed in exasperation and decided to drop it. Kaede-bachan might know what it was –if it was anything.

She dropped the small mirror in her hand and jumped back in fright. "Inuyasha!" she cried. "Don't _do_ that!" She panted, with a hand to her chest.

Inuyasha, his head inside her room, frowned and pulled himself the rest of the way in. "Do what?"

The young miko sighed and turned to her large duffle bag, stuffing the tampons inside. She hauled it over her shoulder and walked out the room.

He followed her silently. "I'm going now, mom, okay?"

"Okay, dear! Did you restock on your food supplies?"

"Yeah!" she cried back.

"Underwear?"

Inuyasha gave her a curious look when she flushed. "S-sure!" she answered more quietly.

"Okay, honey, take care!"

He watched her visibly trying to ignore him the whole way, finally braking his silence when they got to the entrance of the shrine. "Why are you mad?" He crossed his arms, adjusting her bag on his shoulder –having pried it away previously- and frowned down at her turned head.

She ignored him and continued into the shrine and toward the well.

"Hey! What the hell did I do?"

She glared back at him heatedly. "You were horrible!"

"Why?" he asked in angry confusion.

"I don't know. I think it's in your genes."

"…What?"

She huffed. "Never mind!" He caught her hand before she could jump in.

"_What_ are you so mad about!"

She turned on him. "You think I smell bad!"

He was so shocked he let go. "_What_?"

"You said I didn't smell too great!" She jabbed her index finger into his chest. "What else would that mean? You think…I'm unattractive!"

"What! I didn't say any of that!" He looked so confused it might have been funny, but Kagome was too mad. She wasn't going to say anything, but as he had asked for it…

"You're so mean! You don't have to tell me you don't like me-!"

"What!"

"-I know you haven't forgiven me yet, but really, it was out of my hands back there-!"

"Kagome-!"

"I tried to keep her from giving me my soul back-!"

"K-! What?" He looked shocked (and he was tired of saying 'what' all the time).

"So you don't have to say such mean things! If it were up to me she'd be here instead-!"

"KAGOME YOU IDIOT!" He caught her around her waist and jumped into the well, ignoring her cry of surprise.

Kagome and Inuyasha stood at the bottom of the well on the other side, the young miko panting from the aftermath of her fury. "Inu-!"

"Idiot! How could you say that! Kikyou for you? You're so stupid."

"Eh? You're stupid! Stop calling me stupid!"

"What did you mean you tried to stop her from giving you your soul back?" he pressed, ignoring her new burst of temper.

Kagome took a deep breath and turned away. "When we won. She gave me my soul back…That's how she…passed away. I tried to tell her to take mine, but she wouldn't do it. Oof!"

Inuyasha was squeezing the breath out of her, and her face was flush against his chest so she had no means of breathing properly. "Inuhafa!"

"See, you are stupid! Good thing she didn't listen to you!" He released his hold on her and buried his face embarrassingly in her neck, breathing too deeply, like he was trying to calm himself.

She was breathing normally now, and blushing. "Y-you wanted her back. I wasn't the one you wished would stay. I knew you would hate me-"

His face popped into her vision, his glare there with it. "I could never hate you! And if I did want her back, it would never be at the expense of loosing you!"

"You're just saying that because it's too late," she told him matter-of-factly. "I understand that you still-"

He pressed his lips to hers, successfully shutting her up and acting out a fantasy of long ago –or what seemed like it. Unlike her reaction the first time he tried to kiss her, she responded…And rather enthusiastically.

And in the eternity-minutes that followed, his hazy mind registered that he had -in his state of vulnerability and passion- marked her as his.

* * *

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

Quite a finish, I must say. Muahaha!

It's finally over! I guess I'll go back to writing Sesshoumaru, sit! chapter 4 (That will be a fun one. Heehee!). I apologize, everyone, for being so late. Life is so unpredictable –bow- so sorry!

Hope you enjoyed it, as opposed to being freaked out by what happened (to Sessy.)

I think this was a good-length chapter, though. Better than the last one, and way better than ch3 of Sesshoumaru, sit! anyway. So…**R&R**! XD

Oh, by the way, **Kadan** means **Flower** (as girly as names get, eh?)


	4. Regrets?

Hello, all! I'm so sorry! I know it's been FOREVER.

I'm finally able and willing to continue with my fics, and am feeling awful for my long absence (good excuse or no) especially with all those amazing reviews and the tons of support I will never be able to convey my joy over properly.

Thanks to the people who reviewed. You rock! You are the reason I updated as soon as I could. Love you SO much right now!

AND forget about the tampons. They are now health pads (I thought they were the same thing! I've never seen a tampon in my life. But I keep reading about people using it. I only got how it really works when they used the word in a subtitled movie and it was translated 'plug'. Gwaaah! What a mess-up!) For those of you who read it 'health pad' now, it's because I fixed it. Phew! (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you haven't read the previous chapter.)

And I know the fic is weird, and maybe a bit freaky. Is this what they call a 'gender bender'? Anyway, I like seeing Sessy squirm. Bwahahaha!

* * *

**Review replies:**

It's against the rules for me to make these anymore. So I should have replied to the signed reviewers through the review reply thingy the site put in. For the anonymous ones I say: thank you, **Botrytis-Cinerea** (I know you're just not logged in, not anonymous, but I wanted to thank you here anyway!).

* * *

Ahou: Fool.

Taiyoukai: Demon lord.

Baka: Idiot.

Hanyou: Half demon.

Youkai: demon.

Miko: Priestess.

-Sama: Used to confer great respect, like for those better in status.

**Disclaimer:** If I _could_ own any part of Inuyasha it would be Sesshoumaru, the sexiest guy in the land –sigh-

* * *

_Recap from the last chapter:_

_His face popped into her vision, his glare there with it. "I could never hate you! And if I did want her back, it would never be at the expense of loosing you!"_

"_You're just saying that because it's too late," she told him matter-of-factly. "I understand that you still-" _

_He pressed his lips to hers, successfully shutting her up and acting out a fantasy of long ago –or what seemed like it. Unlike her reaction the first time he tried to kiss her, she responded…And rather enthusiastically._

_And in the eternity-minutes that followed, his hazy mind registered that he had -in his state of vulnerability and passion- marked her as his._

**CHAPTER 4:**

No matter how little Sesshoumaru moved, or how hard he tried to keep it in, he felt it –at fairly regular intervals- come _out_. It was the singularly most uncomfortable sensation he has had to deal with in his entire life. Plus, the health pads he had been given reminded him too much of diapers. They probably were something like that, only for grownup women.

Which was another calamity altogether. Once he found this miko foolish enough to reverse his sex, he would kill her –after she turned him back. Because the thought alone of his being this helpless and open as a female and a _human_ put him in as vile a temper as he was ever in.

And after all that, he still had the time to be concerned about his young ward. The old woman assured him Rin was alive, although they had no inkling of where she might be. 'Probably with the miko,' she admitted later. It's what he thought, too, but he had no intention of chatting about his thoughts with anyone. He never does. But especially not with this lot.

The head of said lot came into the cottage, looking rather perturbed, ignoring the taiyoukai completely as usual. Kaede had yet to come back from her trip to the village, but Sesshoumaru wasn't going to divulge anything to the half-breed moron.

Soon enough, the hanyou figured it out on his own, and sighed in exasperation at the lack of miko. Inuyasha felt his brother's eyes on him and turned to him angrily. Sesshoumaru expected something like 'what're ya lookin' at, asshole!' but Inuyasha just turned away and walked out.

Sesshoumaru would have asked him what he was blushing like a girl about, but he didn't give a damn. He was only concerned (_not_ nervous) about what the old miko was going to poke at him with when she came back.

* * *

Inuyasha, his heart pounding, paced back and forth a safe distance away from Kaede's cottage.

Kagome was madder than ever –and she had a right to be since he had thrown her into her room through her bedroom window, then hissed at her to stay there until he figured out what to do.

She hadn't said anything, but the painful and furious daggers she had thrown at him with her eyes carried her anger through. He didn't dawdle there to explain himself, racing to the shrine and leaping into the well in a hurry.

He didn't want to know how she felt about being marked. Being his mate. And so suddenly! He had to fix this. It wasn't to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen at all!

"When the hell is that hag coming back!" he roared at the sky.

* * *

Kagome climbed over the well's edge shakily. "Stay right here! Until I figure out what to do," she mocked furiously, dropping to her feet on the grass. "Wow!" she exclaimed in surprise when her knees buckled.

She sat there on her bottom, and then burst into tears.

Kagome wiped the evidence of her emotional outburst from her cheeks quickly –after ten minutes of it- and stood slowly. She dusted down her skirt and shirt and walked briskly in the direction of Kouga's hideout.

"Hey! Hey, there! Miko! Wait!"

Kagome turned about, wide-eyed, at the sound of Jaken's voice. "Huh?" She rubbed her misty eyes and looked around again, a little annoyed that she couldn't sense his youki. "Jaken? Where are you?" She froze when something curled around her ankle. "Gyaaaah!"

"Wow! Wai-i-it!"

Kagome kicked at the air desperately and jumped up and down. "Getoffgetoffgetoff!"

"It's me-e-e-e-e!" the thing around her ankle wailed.

"_I don't care_! Get _off_!" One hard kick later, the slimy thing went flying into a tree.

"Ewewewew!" the girl shivered, staring at the…"What happened to you!" When 'Jaken' didn't reply, Kagome approached him slowly. "J-Jaken?"

The poor thing was out cold.

"Woops."

Kagome thought about taking the large slug-like creature to Kaede, but she knew Inuyasha would be there. And she also knew that if she saw him she would sit him to the core of the earth.

So she took the unconscious slime with her to Kouga's, not once doubting it was him. But Jaken was so slippery and sticky she had to drag him behind her (and wipe her hand every five minutes). She didn't miss the fact that weird things were happening all of a sudden. Things that never in a million years would have happened. Like Inuyasha's…taking her as his mate.

Could it be that only happened through a spell? The thought was so painful Kagome had to stop and force herself to keep breathing. "How else would that baka get interested in me?" she thought with a sudden fury. "Screw him! Doing this and then trying to weasel out of it! Ugh!" She clutched at the mark on the base of her neck and tried pinching it off. "OUCH!" It hurt more than it should have. "Owow!" she flinched and rubbed it soothingly. "I guess…I'm stuck with you," she told the fang marks she couldn't quite see.

And burst into tears.

* * *

"OUCH!" Inuyasha jumped and clutched at his shoulder in shock. "What the!" He frowned and scratched the place lightly. It didn't sting again, so he gave it a distrustful glance and dismissed it. He looked back at Kaede –ignoring an ill-looking Hiishi (That is, He-She).

He watched the woman mash something in a small wooden bowl (a mortar) and dump the gooey contents in a wooden mug, which she then filled with boiling water she'd been heating up over the fire in the cottage.

"That for Sesshoumaru's monthly?" he asked with a snicker. "Ow!" He exclaimed when she pinched his cheek and stretched it painfully.

"Down, boy," she ordered him, using her other hand to hand the mug to the lord.

Sesshoumaru wouldn't take it, and opted to ignore Inuyasha's existence.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, it will help stop it," she said vaguely. But it was enough to get the taiyoukai to take the mug and a sip. Anything that promised to stop anything that had to do with this 'curse of a phenomenon', was clearly well thought of, Kaede thought in amusement.

The miko would have sworn he looked horrified after taking a second sip, but she couldn't be sure, so quickly did it pass. The concoction _did_ have a vile after taste. Almost as vile as the flux was painful.

"Is there anything you wanted to ask me about, Inuyasha?" she asked, sitting at the low table Kagome had gotten her a short while back. "Well?"

Inuyasha glanced at Sesshoumaru reluctantly and pouted in the way only he can. Kaede nodded in understanding. "I'll talk to you outside then."

"It can only be about his master. He has nothing better to worry about, ahou that he is," the lord said dismissively, interrupting their exit.

"You-!' Inuyasha unsheathed his sword angrily and faced the man-now-woman.

"Inuyasha! This is not the time!" the old miko warned, angry herself. "You can't react this way every time she baits you!"

"_She_?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in offence, icicles of fury shooting from them.

"That moron started it!"

"Just come with me, Inuyahsa," she said with a sigh. "I can tell what you come with is serious business, if your temper is anything to go by." Not that he was usually calm and gracious, thought the woman, mentally rolling her eyes.

Inuyasha followed with a growl thrown over his shoulder.

* * *

A few well-aimed purifying arrows and she was standing safely at the entrance of the cave.

She dusted herself down with one hand and took a deep breath. "Kouga-kun! Are you there?"

She yelped and jumped back from the surprise of finding the wolf prince in her face so unexpectedly. He was always so fast. Not even wet from the waterfall curtain covering his den.

"Hello, Kagome," he smiled charmingly in invitation, taking her hand in that familiar gesture of his.

"Um, hi." She saw his nose flare suddenly, and then he stiffened, his eyes full of disbelief and shock. She'd hoped he wouldn't notice so soon.

Crap!

"Well…that's unexpected," he said darkly, stepping away as if he'd caught a whiff of something vile on her.

_I'll say_. "Listen I don't want to talk about that, I just wanted…to ask you about it. Since you're a demon and all." She fidgeted slightly, giving him a shy smile.

He sight and crossed his arms. "How did it happen? Did he force you?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about that. And _no_!" She blushed furiously, hating to think how easily she'd surrendered. Or how quickly Inuyasha regretted it.

"I didn't think so."

"But I didn't expect it exactly, either," she added defensively, uncertainly. "That's what I wanted to ask about." Kagome thought the wolf prince was taking this suspiciously well. Turning into a girl had something to do with it maybe. Whatever it was, she was grateful. "Can it be undone?"

Kouga looked surprised but pleased. He attempted to cross his arms, but after several awkward attempts dropped them down at his sides with an angry, feminine growl. "You don't want to be his?"

"Well, _he_…doesn't want to at least, and that's reason enough not to…keep it." She glanced breifly at where the mark should be, at the base of her neck. "He's sorry it ever happened," she said bitterly, sounding miserably certain of it. "It was so fast neither of us had time to..." she faltered.

In all honesty, she'd never felt as alive as when he'd done the marking thing. It felt so wonderfully intimate. It didn't even hurt much, Just a slight sting that was overridden by the strange heat and pleasure that had spread through her entire body.

Kouga watched her with a grimace. He _could_ tell her things like that didn't 'happen so fast' if neither of them hadn't had the intention or yearning to begin with, except he didn't want to give her a reason to believe she and the mutt should stay together. He planned to take her as his own later after all..._Maybe after I'm a guy again_, he thought with distaste, refraining from glancing at his annoying breasts.

"Did he do anything beyond bite, Kagome?"

The schoolgirl flushed hotly. "No! Of _course_ not!"

Kouga raised an eyebrow at the passionate denial. "Ok. Then you can be free again. No problem." If it weren't possible, Kouga would have killed the blasted hanyou and made it so. "Give it a week, and if he doesn't renew it, or finish it, it'll fade away. Lucky for you, dog demons don't necessarily mate for life, and they can change mates pretty readily."

Kagome was still stuck on the 'finish it'. She didn't even want to guess what that meant. And as for the multiple-mates thing, she'd guessed as much. Inuyasha was proof of it after all.

"I want it to go away _now_. Otherwise Inuyasha will be pretty awkward with me all the time, and he's irritating enough as it is."

Kouga thought about that for a moment. "someone else could mark you instead," he said speculatively.

Kagome gaped. "_What_! No! That'll make him _nuts_, not just awkward!" she raved almost manically.

Kouga shrugged nonchalantly. "Then you can only wait. And _don't_ let him do it again."

"Geez, Kouga!" _Like he would_. Kagome huffed in embarrassment and exasperation, feeling more miserable than she had in _ever_. A little furious as well, come to think of it. She'd be lucky if he ever came near her again, not that she gave a hoot. Giving her his mark and then acting like it was the worst thing in the world…_Pft. Moron_!

She poked the mark on her neck angrily and yelped at the burning sting. And somewhere not too far away, a certain hanyou about to have a chat with a miko jumped in pained surprise as well.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

I know this is short, but I've been gone so long I just had to update quickly. I'm sorry about the long hiatus! I thank all of you great reviewers! Your comments made me so happy! Also, a big I MISS YOU to my good, funny friend **Shrew-hanyou** and my dearest of dears **TrisakAminawn**, and helpful and fabulous **FluffyDemonSheepdog**And many more: **Lightning Streak**, **Kyuuketsuki-san**, **DESPERAD0**, **Akana Akazen**, **absol1**, and neither last nor least**Tears of Eternal Darkness**. There are many more, but I want to get this uploaded ASAP ' You guys know who you are:

Review and tell me how terrible I am! –sigh- I feel awful. I'm a pretty lazy person, even though I love writing these fics. I'll do my best to update quickly. Ja!


	5. Daughter of Time

So sorry to all the people who've been waiting for this chapter that never seemed to come. It's been forever and I know it! I've been busy with Sesshoumaru, sit! you see. I know I have to finish this, it's really not as long (not that much longer anymore, either). Here is the chapter before the last. Or the one before the one before the last XD Depends. On what, I'm not saying :p

This chapter dedicated to **Sesshoumarus-Woman**, **Shrew-hanyou**, **absol1**, **Kayrana**, **Kyuuketsuki-san**, **Lightning Streak**, **Tearns of Eternal Darkness**, **Akana Akazen**, **Linzu**, and **TrisakAminawn**!

**Review Replies (for the anonymous, who are sometimes simply signed out):**

**None**

* * *

**A special, huge sorry to all the wonderful reviewers, who bothered to give me encouragements and comments.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Only Sesshy (Kidding, kidding!). Actually, I own nothing and no one in this thing. Except maybe the bad, hooded lady.

* * *

_Recap from last chapter:_

_"I want it to go away now. Otherwise Inuyasha will be pretty awkward with me all the time, and he's irritating enough as it is."_

_Kouga thought about that for a moment. "Someone else could mark you instead," he said speculatively._

_Kagome gaped. "_What_! No! That'll make him _nuts_, not just awkward!" she raved almost manically._

_Kouga shrugged nonchalantly. "Then you can only wait. And don't let him do it again."_

_"Geez, Kouga!" _Like he would_. Kagome huffed in embarrassment and exasperation, feeling more miserable than she had in _ever_. A little furious as well, come to think of it. She'd be lucky if he ever came near her again, not that she gave a hoot. Giving her his mark and then acting like it was the worst thing in the world…_Pft. Moron!

_She poked the mark on her neck angrily and yelped at the burning sting. And somewhere not too far away, a certain hanyou about to have a chat with a miko jumped in pained surprise as well._

**Chapter 5:**

The village was bustling with life as usual, and Kagome found herself wanting to stay outside and watch the activity. Better than going to Kaede's and seeing Inuyasha. She just wasn't ready! Not after being rejected. Thank goodness they hadn't _done_ anything.

She felt a discarded old sock as it was.

Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, she froze. And sniffed the air once. Then sniffed again. And then once more time just to be sure…

Yep. She could smell Inuyasha. And not in the you-haven't-showered-in-a-month sort of way, either.

She ran to the cottage, and thankfully, just about everyone was there. Besides an unconcerned Kadan-Sesshoumaru, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kaede stared at her questioningly. And no wonder; she looked like a scared bunny! She knew one thing: this new demonic sense of smell only applied to Inuyasha. Another thing she knew: he smelt sexy as hell.

"_Inuyasha_!" she hollered, on the edge of hysteria.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango hurried to her side with Shippo on her shoulder.

"_Gwaaah_!" Shippo squealed suddenly into the taijiya's ear and pointed at Kagome in horror.

"The hell's going on?" Inuyasha growled, rushing in at the noise. He spotted Kagome's hysterical face and ran to her. "What is it?"

She punched him.

The gang stared in awe as the hanyou sputtered and growled on the floor, glaring up at the young miko red for more reasons than one. "_The hell_!"

"Jerk! This is all your fault! Why did you have to do it if you didn't want to, huh?" Kagome hollered some more at him, flailing her arms. "Now I'm stuck smelling you! _Bastarrrrd_!" she ended with an Inuyasha-like snarl.

Staring stupidly up at her, Inuyasha took just enough time to blink in confusion. "_What_ are you _talking_ about!"

"I can smell you. _I can smell you_!" And she marched out with another growl.

"You marked her, half-breed?" Sesshoumaru asked cynically in his deep, feminine voice, and Inuyasha froze.

"_What_!' Miroku and Sango cried in shock.

"Oh, dear," Kaede mumbled.

"That's it! That's the smell!" Shippo squealed in recognition. "I _knew_ it was a big deal!"

"Inuyasha, you're _mates_?" Sango asked in disbelief.

"No. Not yet," Sesshoumaru answered for him. "He merely completed the first step." A degrading smirk was in his-her voice.

"And what would you know about that, bastard? You got mates I don't know about?" he growled, flushing in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"No. And there isn't much you do know, Inuyasha. You clearly haven't been told about the mating process either." A grunt of disgust. "Something father should have taught you."

Inuyasha snarled in fury, and would have lunged at his female-looking brother if not for the old miko coming between them. "What do you know about this, Sesshoumaru-sama? What was Kagome talking about?"

"She's human. But her mark grants her the power to sense her…mate. To feel his presence, and later, even his state of mind. It's not as prominent a discovery for the hanyou because he has most these powers already." Sesshoumaru looked up at Inuyasha coldly, somehow managing to look down his nose at him despite being seated on the floor. "And it does not take a genius to realize she thinks you reject the mark."

Inuyasha tensed, his head whipping to where Kagome had gone.

"What does that mean?" Shippo whispered in Sango's ear.

"It means she thinks Inuyasha rejected her, young one," Kaede answered, giving the distressed hanyou a meaningful look. Inuyasha took a shaky breath, glaring into space. Then he turned about and marched out.

Sesshoumaru made a cynical sound and rose to his feet, going out as well.

Miroku stared in awe after the two. "Well…that was a bit…hectic, wasn't it?"

Everyone nodded stupidly.

* * *

Kagome sniffled once, wiping her tears furiously as she looked up. "I know you're there Inuyasha. I can _smell_ you, remember?" Oh, this was so stupid! What was she even angry about? So she could smell extra well. So what!

She thought he smelled sexy was what! She raved mentally. When he thought she smelled ok, or good. Jeez, if he thought she smelled as sexy as she thought he smelled, he wouldn't be able to stand next to her for too long. Why must she always like him more? It was so unfair!

At the moment she sat at the well, waiting for the sneaky hanyou to show himself. As he did, eventually. She watched him look everywhere but at her and felt like shooting him. She was uncomfortable too, but she didn't act like this new thing between them was the worst thing in the world. But then she hadn't _thought_ so. Not until that idiot had run off like little demon Kagomes were biting at his heels!

"What!" she snapped, and he jumped comically.

"I…I know you're upset about this. I…er…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm not rejecting you or anything," he added hurriedly, glaring at her like the whole misunderstanding was her fault.

She glowered at him so hard he stepped back, honestly spooked. "Why don't you just shut up, Inuyasha, OK? You've messed up my life enough, don't go blaming _me_-!"

"_I_ wasn't blaming-what do you _mean_ 'messed up your life'! It's not permanent!"

"No? It _feels_ permanent!" she squeaked at the end, startling the hanyou.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He watched her struggle to slide her school shirt down her shoulder and blushed. "What are you _doing_?"

"Baka! This is your fault! _Yours_, not mine!" she cried, and then jabbed her finger into the bruise, making them both yelp in pain. She looked at him in shock, and he at her. She jabbed again, stifling another yelp and watching in amazement as Inuyasha jumped and grabbed his shoulder.

"That was _you_?" he said in shock, gaping at her and marveling at the phenomenon.

Kagome blinked stupidly. "Y…You mean you felt it…before?"

He frowned. "Twice. Painful. Does it hurt you?"

She sighed and lowered her head, how embarrassing the situation was finally catching up with her. "Only when I do that."

He sighed and went to her, hugging her to him. "I'm sorry. It…must have hurt."

She scowled into his chest and scrunched her eyes shut. "Actually, it was the best feeling I've ever had. The bits _after_ weren't so great," she mumbled. "It'll be gone in a week, anyway."

He stiffened, caught between blushing like a schoolgirl at the 'best feeling ever' bit and scowling thunderously at the 'lasts one week' information. "A week? How do you know that?"

"I…asked Kouga about it," she replied uncertainly, knowing the hanyou would-

"_When_?" he snapped, holding her at arm's length and glaring suspiciously. She frowned back.

"Earlier today. I needed to know more…about this."

"Why didn't you ask me? Didn't you think I'd know?" He hadn't a clue, but still…

Kagome shook her head furiously, eyes closed. "Irrelevant. I wasn't going to talk about this to _you_! And I was still mad at the way you…" she paused, tensing and looking away.

Inuyasha frowned, leaning over to look at her averted face. "At the way I what?"

She expelled a breath and pushed him away, and then glared up at him. "You ran off like I terrified you! It was so hurtful I wanted to _kill_ you. I felt so dirty and used. Why did you do that when you didn't mean it, huh! Like we weren't messed up enough already?"

"_What_! Wait a second!" He grabbed her when she tried to jump into the well right behind her, and turned her to face him. "You think I ran off…because I regretted it?" Not meeting his eyes, she nodded jerkily, making him scowl. "You…think I didn't…mean it? You were sure it was just in the moment?" He was blushing angrily, and when she nodded his scowl deepened. "You think we're messed up," he said at last, his voice deepening with…something. But it wasn't good.

"Yeah, that I'm pretty sure about. We can't help arguing or fighting about things, and they're usually so stupid. I always feel lost around you, and you pretty much never understand how I think. Like why I would be upset about…whatever, or how I feel about you. You sure rarely ever bother to-"

"Wait! _What_? Y-y-you…How do you feel about -? Wait a second, why would you feel lost because of me?" He switched from stuttering to raving. "And I can't _help_ not understanding you! You-"

"I love you."

She stared almost expectantly up at him, and when all he did for the space of two minutes was open and close his mouth in shock like some fish…she began to shake, both angry and hurt anew. She thought she'd give it a try. One last, _real_ try to get him to show he cared more than platonically. She wasn't sad she'd confessed when he didn't feel the same. No, sir. It felt good to let out. Especially since she knew what to do.

She reached up to him, sucking in a pained breath when he flinched. She grabbed the beads…and yanked. They shattered beautifully, flying like pearls all around them. She heard Inuyasha gasp and look around him in confusion. And she took that time to turn to the well and jump right in.

* * *

Sesshoumaru walked carefully into the village, finally getting some fresh air. Even the old miko had advised him to move around to relieve the ache. The currently-female lord of the west did not like the insinuation that he could not handle the womanly pain, but he would in fact much rather do without it. Humans did not have a high pain threshold, obviously.

He walked next to a small stream and looked about slowly at the farmers working around in the fields. Cursing his bothersome body, he just stood there, oddly finding the bubbling waters of the tiny brook relaxing. Hm. His brain must be affected by his gender if he could find comfort in such a thing.

"Out and about, finally?"

He turned, long black hair flying to one side. A white-robed figure stood behind him, the exposed lower part of her face revealing a small smile. "I was hoping you'd come out for a little chat soon. You sure took long enough, Dad."

Sesshoumaru stared in stone-faced shock as the woman pulled off the hood to reveal cascading black hair…and golden yellow eyes. Aside from the luminous eyes, she looked completely human.

"You are the miko-" Sesshoumaru began coldly.

"I'm not a miko. I'm a demon. Well…mostly. So your assumptions about me were obviously wrong."

"Hm. And who might you be?"

"Weren't you listening? I called you Daddy. Father. I'm your youngest. Not as powerful as my eldest sister, but still…I pack quite a punch." She winked at the frozen lord and giggled before reverting back to her serious demeanor. "You're so inconsiderate to Rin I just had to give you a taste…of what it's like to be a human girl. You look gorgeous by the way," she added on another, softer giggle.

Foremost in his boggled mind, was the incredulous thought that he…would beget a daughter who _giggled_.

* * *

**To be Continued…**

**

* * *

**

Next chapter will be the last. Stay tuned! And please review. It'll give me the energy to make it good and long. And sorry I stayed away so ridiculously long. I'm an idiot!

Also, sorry this was shorter than usual. Will make it up to you next chapter. –booow-


	6. Tia

OH MY GOD! It's been around 3 years since I last updated this. I am the worst!

I'm so sorry everyone, if there's anyone left who even cares about this anymore.

This was supposed to be the last chapter, but my muse says the last one is next unless I make an epilogue. But either way, any suffering ends here. I will update the last chapter in just over a week, maximum. The epilogue, if there is one, will follow just over a week after that.

_Gomen_!

**Disclaimer: **I own the whole world. You can't even bite your nails without my OK! Not. (I own nothing but my characters).

* * *

**CHAPTER 6****:**

"So, Dad, any questions before I go back to the future?" the golden-eyed human girl said with a grin.

Sesshoumaru couldn't believe his ears, or his eyes. This was his daughter? And she said she was mostly demon. She didn't look demon at all, and something told him that even if he turned back to a demon now, she wouldn't _feel_ demon either.

"I am not your father."

She laughed. "Mom would be very angry if she heard you say that. Then again, maybe she wouldn't. In this dimension, you haven't met her yet."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "What is her name," he asked ominously. The young girl in the miko outfit smiled widely. She knew what he was thinking. If all this is true, he might kill the woman as soon as he met her.

"Afraid I'll keep that bit of info to myself. My name, on the other hand, is Tia –after her best friend. I take a few things from mom, but Onee-san is most like her." She stared evenly at the female demon lord then, gaze as eerily unflinching as his own.

"Where is Rin?"

"Safe. Don't worry, I would never harm Rin-nee. She's like a second mother to me. Where I come from, of course."

"Turn me back. Now," he ordered threateningly, but it sounded empty, since he was still human and only strong enough to hurtle perverted monk through walls. He had a feeling this girl just wasn't in the same league as any human he had ever met.

Tia smirked, cocking her head to one side. "You know, Dad, I never intended to change your character. Just your insensitive behavior. And I have. You may not recognize it since you don't know the sort of things you have and haven't done for Rin-nee as she was growing up, things that have yet to happen. At least now they won't happen at all. I hope."

She stepped back into the shadows, and Sesshoumaru knew she was gone, his future daughter. And then he blacked out.

* * *

Inuyasha bellowed into the air, feeling two kinds of pain; emotional from the knowledge that Kagome would never come back, and physical pain, from the fire shooting through his shoulder where Kagome's mark should be.

"_Kagome_! Get the fuck back here!" he hollered and jumped into the well.

Nothing happened, and he wasn't surprised. His beads were his link into her world, and she'd broken their spell. Just like that.

He was panting heavily and looking around wildly. This can't be real. She was just punishing him, making him realize how much he needed her. But he already knew that he did! He just never told her how much.

_I love you._

He groaned at the memory and resisted the urge to tear the walls apart. He should have said something. He should have…

He froze, catching sight of something glinting at the edge of the well. He walked to it and picked up the object with shaking hands. The small glass jar with the shikon shards rested in his palm, and he knew she had no intention of coming back to him. He didn't care about the bullshit Kouga said about the mark ceasing to matter in a week.

He'd lost his mate forever.

* * *

Sesshoumaru felt small hands shaking him, nothing but their familiar feel keeping him from slashing his claws through that person's torso for touching him. He opened his eyes slowly to see Rin weeping above him and trying to wake him.

He raised his hand and put it gently on her head. All that happened had been done for her sake? He should be angry at her, but it wasn't her fault that his so-called future daughter had turned him into a woman, wiped his memory to make him feel the full brunt of the confusing transformation, and then gave him his memory back so he could appreciate the true horror of it.

He tried to bring himself to resent humans, and women at that moment, but it didn't work. The world was hard on them, humans. Rin would need him to help her through growing up maybe sooner that he thought. There was no way in hell he would do it himself, but he would bring in someone to do so.

He got up, just keeping from sighing in relief when he felt his demon strength return, and touched his tongue to his fangs to be sure all was well. The damned cramps were gone and he felt like himself again.

"It's all right now, Rin. Come," he said and led the way back.

She stopped crying instantly and grinned through her tears, a happy little girl once again. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He frowned, stopping. "Where's Jaken?"

"The scary lady told Rin Jaken was OK. She turned him into a slug for fun."

Sighing in exasperation, he changed directions and headed for Kaede's village.

So this Tia was his second child? It seemed like she would be just as much a pain to him in her real time as she was the past week. He couldn't wait for her birth, just so he could kill her in her crib!

They found Jaken in the hut with Kaede, where Shippo was bawling loudly about the human female called Kagome. Everyone else was in a dark mood, especially his worthless brother. Inuyasha was sitting quietly near the cooking fire, staring at the leaping flames as if in a trance. He didn't move when the rest of his group exclaimed – along with a boisterous, slimy Jaken- at his return to normal, and at Rin.

Rin picked up the Jaken from his place near the slayer, his servant crying with joy.

"Something happen to your human, Inuyasha?" he asked evenly, ignoring all other commotion.

Inuyasha had only enough attention for him to shoot him a deadly glare before his eyes returned to the fire.

"Kagome-chan went back home, and none of us can go there, and she broke Inuyasha's necklace so he can't go, and she left the shikon shards so now _she_ can't get back. We're never gonna see her _again_!" the small fox demon continued to bawl.

Sesshoumaru looked at him distastefully for a moment, and then at his brother. So his human was gone. Inuyasha was more like their father than Sesshoumaru cared to admit, if he was that upset about the girl.

Shaking his head with a patronizing smirk, he said: "If that so distressing to you, make another necklace and wait in that well. She is as pathetic as you are, so I have no doubt she will return to that cursed well, whether she believes she can get back or not."

With that advice ringing in everybody's ear, he left for home.

* * *

To Be Continued…

* * *

I know it's short, but it felt right to stop there. I wont keep you waiting this time though.

Please **read and review!** That would be great, though I hardly deserve it. Weep!


	7. Dreams

**Dreams**

The laaast chapter, as promised.

**\\****Babble section:** I have recently decided to actually finish things I started (especially the bits other people are waiting for, like fan fictions, and this original, long-winded fiction I'm working on that my family is reading (and a cousin). Not that I stopped writing the latter at all (which is why I am so harrowingly late with everything else!)

Forgive me everyone! I am a late sort of person. Heck, I'm always late for work too (up to an hour late sometimes). If I wasn't so good at my job and didn't frequently stay extra I expect I would have been fired by now. But come on! Waking up at 6 am is just WRONG! That said, I love my job. I also love to write fan fiction. **/**

Now that I'm done babbling, I'd like to thank **pumpkinpi**, **Royal Kitsune**, **angelblue240**,**Christal-Wolf-Gaurdian-967**, **Kayrana**, **Kyuuketsuki-san**, **Sesshoumaru's-Woman**, **absol1**, **Lightining Streak**, **Tears of Eternal Darkness**, **Akana Akazen**, **TrisakAminawn** (I miss you!), **Lynzu**, **Shrew-hanyou**, **Zenken Senritsu**, **FluffyDemonSheepdog**, **Moonkitii**, and **DESPERADO**. Thanks guys!

A special thanks this chapter to **Christal-Wolf-Guardian-967**, who reviewed like one minute after I uploaded the 6th chapter. Wow! Thanks **Crystal-Wolf**!

Another special thanks to **pumpkinpi**, who is always there to cheer me up with her lovely reviews.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I own the whole world. You can't even bite your nails without my OK! Not. (I own nothing but my characters).

* * *

**CHAPTER 7****:**

The weather was good, and hanging out for the first time in a week sucked, for whatever reason that Kagome didn't even want to go into. So now she sat under the sacred tree at her house, listening to the wind rustle the leaves and the birds fly in and out of their nests.

This was soothing and painful all in one. And that's how she liked it nowadays, because she felt nothing but this terrible ache in her chest, and worse, in her mark, all the time. Her mark she could ignore, but her heart wasn't doing so good. And the tree helped a little, because she could almost feel his spirit with her.

_Inuyasha. _

What bothered her is that it had already been three months, and while the mark itself had gone from her shoulder, she could still feel it throbbing. She was scared of what that might mean to her future now that she couldn't go back to the feudal era. Would she never get over Inuyasha, or feel like she belonged in her own time again? Where was home anymore, really?

She sighed and headed inside, rubbing her shoulder almost affectionately. Could Inuyasha feel the touch still? She didn't think so. She had kept poking it and pinching for several days after she came back, she was so furious and hurt. She knew it would sting him just as it stung her. And he would know she was doing it, and yet he never stung her back. Could he even do that when he had no mark of his own?

Oh, it didn't matter! Why was she even thinking about this? She should be moving on! Getting a boyfriend, hanging out with friends more than once a week. Studying and trying to make up for all the classes she had missed! What was wrong with her? It's like she didn't want to bother fitting in, like she was just visiting and would be going back through the well at any moment.

"Shouta! Kagome! Lunch is ready," he mother called.

Another thing. Her mom had quite a bit to say about the whole thing. In her own gentle and supporting way.

"_I love you, sweetheart, but something tells me this is not where you want to be."_

"_I have no choice. I dropped the shards."_

"_Was it deliberate? You didn't want to have the choice to go back?"_

Kagome had thought about this but could give no answer. Her mom was asking some tough question that weren't supposed to be tough at all. Did she drop the Shikon shards on purpose? When she jumped into the well back then, she felt the shards pulse around her neck. They made her even more furious, so she ripped them off, and that's when they fell from her hand. She wasn't holding onto them very well. Was it an unconscious effort to get away from it all?

Initially, she'd only meant for Inuyasha to stay away. And when the shards weren't with her anymore, she just didn't try to get back without them. Maybe she wanted the choice out of her hands, but now that it was…

"_Try, sweetie. But only if you want it to work," _her mother had suggested.

_Did_ she want it to work?

* * *

Rin lay in the grass, in a field within Kaede's village. She was making grass angels and singing loudly, while Shippo watched her quizzically.

Her Sesshoumaru-sama was visiting his brother again. She knew it was because the scary lady had visited him yesterday. She didn't take Rin away this time, but brought her some beautiful-looking candy, like Kagome-neesan did sometimes when she saw her. The rainbow candy was yummy, so Rin wasn't scared of the Tia lady anymore.

Not much anyway.

* * *

"At the Bone Eater's well. Of course," Sesshoumaru said, one brow raised ever so slightly. "I admit, I expected the human to attempt to return much sooner than this."

"Kagome-chan can be very stubborn," Sango said, crossing her arms.

They were all standing just outside Kaede's house, only Inuyasha and Shippo missing from the scene. And Inuyasha was at the well.

"Would you like us to give him a message?" asked Miroku, standing a little way behind Sango fearfully. The Monk was still terrified the Western Lord would try to kill him for the groping incident.

Miroku hadn't groped anyone since, and Sango couldn't be happier.

"No. I think I'll pass the message myself." With that, Sesshoumaru turned and headed for Inuyasha's forest, and to the well.

As usual, it took no time at all for Sesshoumaru to get there, or anywhere, and he stood listening to the complete silence. There was no one around, but he could feel his Halfling brother inside the well. Waiting.

Should he put him out of his misery? Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he cared for that thought. He still couldn't give a damn whether his brother lived or died, and the thought of him miserable was almost soothing. However, the half breed and his human had helped keep him safe when he was at his weakest. He felt he needed to return the favor and rid himself of this debt he felt he owed them.

He smirked, hearing his brother's warning growl. So Inuyasha knew he was here. Sesshoumary walked until he stood near the mouth of the well.

"What do you want, bastard?" Inuyasha spat.

Brow raised, Sesshouaru looked into the well to find the half demon sitting against one of the walls, arms crossed and eyes glowing gold as they stared angrily up at him.

"If you will recall, you are the bastard, not I."

"Shut up." They bared their teeth at each other for a moment and Sesshoumaru jumped inside.

Inuyasha shot to his feet in the small confines and gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Relax. I have news for you. My future daughter told me of your human: Kagome. Would you like to hear of her future? And yours?"

Inuyasha froze and his eyes went to his newly-made subjugating necklace. It was still inactive, and still useless. "No."

Sesshoumaru looked surprised, but only for a moment. "Even if it assured you of the futility of your efforts? You may be wasting your time here."

"No. I'll find out by myself. And you care all of a sudden? I had no idea you've become such a softy," Inuyasha mocked, leaving his sword and crossing his arms.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "I did try, so I think we'll call it even. Have a good life, Inuyasha. If you dare."

Sesshoumaru evaporated from his sight, too quickly for Inuyasha to hurl the curses at him he felt obligated to give.

But he was adamant. Even if it was true that Sesshoumaru could tell him once and for all if Kagome would ever return, Inuyasha didn't want to know. He needed the hope. It was withering away every day Kagome was gone, but at least it was there.

"She loves me," he told himself for the thousandth time. If you love someone, you won't be able to stay away forever.

Neither could you be without that person for long, and Inuyasha feared he might not live for long if she never returned. It was like the story he heard her tell Shippo and the gang one night. About the beast who falls in love with a kind and beautiful maiden. She goes home, and he nearly dies without her.

Inuyasha prayed that Kagome came back to save him from a similar fate.

He groaned. "I should have said something. I should have told Kagome I love her. I should have…" He swallowed and took a deep breath. There were a whole lot of things he should have said and done. "And now it's too late."

Her beautiful scent would be nothing but a memory if she never came back. And from what his jerk brother said, she never would. He was wasting his time. Yet he didn't see himself doing anything at all without her there guiding him and chastising him and sitting the hell out of him.

He missed her scent, mostly because it meant she was near. Maybe he would have to resort to conjuring it from memory, be crazy and imagine she was sitting there near the fire, reading a book or doing math, or any of the other crazy future shit she liked to do.

He closed his eyes and smiled, her smell coming to him easily. What should he have her do? Making him ramen! He loved watching her do that.

He took a deep breath, so into it he was surprised he didn't smell the ramen. Just her.

His eyes popped open and he stared into her face. Her hair was slightly longer. She was wearing a miko outfit, looking nothing like Kikyou as far as he was concerned. She had that large yellow backpack with her. No wonder he hadn't smelled the ramen. She had yet to start cooking it.

She was dressed like she was here to stay. He smiled sadly at the vision and knew that was what he had always wanted.

"Inuyasha." Her voice was shaky. Unsure.

He swallowed, not daring to close his eyes lest the vision of her disappeared. He missed her voice. Her hands tugging at his ears. Her fingers poking at his chest. The weight of her head resting on his shoulder. "Yes, Kagome?"

"Are you OK?"

"Just pretending you're here. I feel better already."

"Pretending…? Inuyash, how long have you been sitting there?"

"According to Shippo, seven months or so. I was too focused to keep track. Might have been a year as far as I could tell."

In the silence following his statement, he let himself soak in her beauty. He always knew she was beautiful, but he didn't think she knew. In the darkness of the well, her eyes shone with her tears, which were falling down her face. He frowned. She shouldn't be crying. Not in his dream…

"I heard you, you know," she told him as realization slowly dawned on him. "I was sitting in the well for the hundredth time, not knowing if I really wanted to get back, and I heard you. You said you loved me. I think it's what pulled me through. Or…what let me get myself pulled through."

Inuyasha tensed and shot to his feet, leaving her staring up at him.

She was real. She was actually here. And she had heard him.

"Kagome…" he choked out angrily, snarling. "What the fuck took you so long!"

She blinked in confusion and glared. "What took _you_ so long, _jerk_!" she hollered back at him.

"I've been waiting here for seven months, damn it!"

"No one asked you to," she spat at him and punched him in the arm.

He growled and lunged at her, and she fell shrieking to the well's floor.

He started kissing her face and she burst into tears, clinging to him like both their lives depended on it. He chanted 'I love you, I love you, I love you' until Shippo found them kissing and laughing, as the young fox demon was bringing Inuyasha his food.

The kitsune squealed happily and bound to the village to tell everyone, not willing to welcome Kagome just yet when she was so otherwise engaged with Inuyasha.

But Shippo was too happy Kagome was back to be disgusted. Yet.

* * *

Tia stretched and watched things from a low-hanging cloud. Her Dad was behaving better than expected, and Rin was happier than usual. That annoying Jaken servant was back to normal and so thankful for it he treated Rin like royalty. Ha ha!

Those Inuyasha people were plenty happy, what with Sango and the monk married, and Inuyasha and Kagome engaged at last.

Tia was happy with her work. Her Dad going to tell Inuyasha Kagome would get back eventually had only sped up the process of her return, which was a bonus.

She could now go back and tell her big sister everything. Aneko loved to hear about Tia's mischief when it had a happy ending. Her mom would be furious that she had interfered, but Tia knew a whole lot more about adjusting futures than her mother gave her credit for. Her Dad knew it (her future Dad) and he never told her off about any of it.

That wolf prince turning into a woman was such a great perk Tia laughed every time remembering it. Too bad her past father turning back meant the wolf turned back too. She would have loved to watch him suffer a little more.

She was sure her uncle Inuyasha and aunt Kagome would be even happier to see her now than they usually are. Ooh, she couldn't wait to visit them and play with her cousins.

Rin was probably visiting her father and mom after her miko training. If she went back now she could catch her.

She smiled down at the laughing Rin and waved a finger in the air. A ripple appeared there, and grew into a small vortex of colors.

It was time to go home.

* * *

**THE END…**

* * *

Thank you! Thank you! Finished, after about six years of dawdling. I am officially the worst author ever! (Ok, maybe not officially, but…I'm pretty bad)

**For those who read Sesshoumaru, Sit! ****and are following the sequel, you will see the similarities in characters there, but this is an AU to that, so the events of Lady's Man of the West never happen at any point in the lives of the Sesshoumaru, Sit! characters.**

Just to clarify.

And thank you all for your patience.

Please** Read and Review!** Even though I am undeserving. Sniff. And thanks so much for everyone who reviewed or would review in the future. I appreciate it so much. Smooch!


End file.
